Tap water?

[sueandherzoo]

I don't think any of my LFS's or the local Walmart carries RO water. I'm dying to start setting up my 46 gallon and getting the water in there so I can start the cycling process but I'm still in the research and ordering stage of a new RO/DI unit. Can I use tap water for the initial fill or am I asking for problems down the road if I do that?
Sue

 

[dingus890]

It's not wise.I would wait for the RO unit.Always remember you need to be patient with this hobby to be successful.

 

[novahobbies]

You could start with store-bought salt water....pretty much any LFS carries that! (Surprised that your LFS doesn't sell RO water, come to think of it!) Store bought salt isn't much more than RO....my LFS sells RO for 30 cents a gallon, and salt for 60 cents.
You're pretty much up the creek with getting water from Walmart. In a pinch, you could possibly use Walmart's purified drinking water....just add a dechlorinator to be on the safe side!

 

[sueandherzoo]

OK, no tap water. I'll take a ride to the LFS tomorrow and see if they have RO and if not maybe buy pre-mixed salt water but I thought it was a lot more expensive than what you quoted. If it's that cheap I may go that way. Gonna be a pain hauling it all, though. No one warned me that this hobby was going to be such a good cardio workout.

 

[rykna]

I use tap water.

 

[alexa11]

I use tap as well. I have well water so i use aqua vitro alpha in the water to try to neutralize anything in the water. the closest place for me to get ro water (or real seawater) is an hour and 20 min drive

 

[sueandherzoo]

Originally Posted by alexa11
http:///forum/post/2803946
I use tap as well. I have well water so i use aqua vitro alpha in the water to try to neutralize anything in the water. the closest place for me to get ro water (or real seawater) is an hour and 20 min drive
Glad to hear it because I ended up using tap water. The LFS said he could sell me a few gallons of RO but couldn't part with 46 gallons. I wasn't about to pay the price of pre-mixed saltwater, and the closest thing I found at the grocery stores/Walmart were $1.39 a gallon. I used the water conditioner in the tap water so hopefully it should be OK. Thanks for the input.
Sue